


In The Flickering Light

by syrenpan



Series: Arthur/Danse stories [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Angst, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-21 11:58:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6050845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syrenpan/pseuds/syrenpan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Blind Betrayal Danse gets an unexpected visitor at Listening Post Bravo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Flickering Light

**Author's Note:**

> Fallout 4 (c) Bethesda - no copyright infringement intended.

Danse brushed sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, still holding the combination wrench. Listening Post Bravo's generator fusion core was down to 20%, if he wanted to make this place his home and keep breathing, he had to fix the auxiliary generator asap, or the question whether Nora and Maxson had made the right call by letting him live would become academical in the morning.

Going outside during an approaching radstorm without his power armour was not recommended, at least not if he wanted to honour his promise to still be here when Nora came back looking for him, and Danse kept his promises, always.

That was another downside of finding out one was a later model synth, not only did it erase your identity, no sir, you still needed to breathe, eat and sleep like everyone else. The Institute should have really thrown that in as a perk! But no, he was for all intense and purpose as human as the next guy. Well, apart form having been assembled in a laboratory and the programmable implant he undoubtedly had somewhere in his brain.

_“You simply should not exist.”_

The Elder's words replayed on endless loop in his head while he worked. Danse had always and still believed in the Brotherhood tenets, had lived them, breathed them, taught them to his charges, and he would have gone to his grave with no regrets, but Nora had decided otherwise, and despite everything, Arthur had agreed.

_“Allowing Danse to live undermines everything the Brotherhood stands for.”_

And yet, here he was. A synth who believed that synth should not be allowed to exist. Then why was he working so hard to get this generator running? Why not go to sleep and never wake up? It wasn't just the promise, he knew it wasn't.

There was something inside of him that wanted to keep going. He knew full well that it made him a bloody hypocrite, but human or synth, he wanted to live. Could they really programme that into a machine? Wasn't survival instinct one of the main things that distinguished living beings from mere objects?

The proximity alarm interrupted his train of thought. He tossed the wrench into the toolbox and walked to the surveillance monitor. A familiar face appeared on the screen. Arthur Maxson scowled into the camera.

Danse wiped his oil-stained hand on his white t-shirt before he pressed the intercom button. 'Are you here to finish the job, Arthur?'

The Brotherhood Elder said nothing and pointedly stared into the camera. Not for the first time Danse wondered how someone so young, could look so old?

'So be it,' Danse whispered to himself as he hit the door release. Maxson disappeared from the monitor. Seconds later the elevator chimed and the Brotherhood Elder stepped into the room.

'Before you ask again, no, I'm not here to kill you. You are already dead to me, no point in wasting a bullet on a corpse. The storm caught me by surprise.'

'Where is your pilot? Why are you still in the area?' The Elder had left before Nora had stalked off in her power armour. That had been over an hour ago.

'I sent him back to the airport. I needed some fresh air after our “little chat”. When the storm hit, I figured I had broken so many rules already, I might as well break another one and try to survive to make up for my lapses. So, I'm going to be your guest,' Maxson hissed, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

'Please, make yourself at home, Arthur,' Danse replied with a hint of sarcasm.

'Shut up! And don't call me by my name, we are not friends. Not any more,' Maxson growled before he lowered his gaze and started to pace around the room like a caged animal.

'Then what shall I call you? I assume you're going to be around for at least the next couple of hours.'

'Why talk at all? The dead don't talk. Machines shouldn't talk and they certainly don't ask questions,' Arthur said with a malicious gleam in his eyes. He pointed to the backroom, visible through the broken window. 'I'll be over there and when the sky is clear, I'll let myself out and we can pretend that this never happened.'

Danse watched him disappear through the side tunnel and sighed. He knew there was nothing he could do about the situation or how they both felt about the development of the past 24 hours. The only thing he could do was to focus on the task at hand, besides that generator wasn't going to fix itself. He picked up the wrench and continued to tinker.

An hour later Danse flipped the switch and smiled when he was rewarded with a steady humming sound.

'Why is it so hot in here?' he whipped around. Maxson stood in the tunnel entrance, only dressed in his black BOS suit. The former Paladin had overheard fellow soldiers talking about the Elder's battlecoat, rumoured to be a ballistic weave and leather combo, heavier than a suit of power armour, and how it made him look larger than he was. In reality, Maxson looked even more impressive with his coat off. Everything about the man screamed living weapon, and Danse could appreciate that in the same way he admired a finely tuned and upgraded power rifle.

'Are you staring at me?' Maxson growled.

'Yes, I was,' Danse had never believed in lying. It was not in his nature, or perhaps programming, and when your commanding, pardon, former commanding officer asked you a question, you answered it truthfully. However, omitting certain details was deemed permissible. 'To be honest, I had forgotten you were here.'

Maxson glared. 'Well?'

'Well what?'

'Why is it so hot in here?'

'Oh. The main generator is low on power and the auxiliary needed fixing, so I shut down the more power hungry systems like environmental control and kept it on life support only. With the heat from the machines and the radstorm up there, it gets pretty warm in here.' The explanation was greeted with a non-committal grunt.

'At any rate, I was going to bring enviro back online so I can take a shower now that this baby here is humming along nicely,' Danse said while tidying up the tools.

Another grunt suggested that Maxson had heard him but didn't really care. Fair enough, he was dead to the man after all. The thought that this should bother him more crossed Danse's mind while his hands were busy picking up screws.

Had he always been this detached form his feelings or had the realisation that he was a high-end robot simply made him pay more attention to details about himself that suggested he should have realised who and what he was a long time ago?

What did that even mean any more? A long time ago? How long exactly? Had he always been a synth? The DNA analysis and image of him suggested he had been custom made to replace Danse, the human, but when had that happened? And why had that data entry referred to M7-97 as an escaped synth. It pointed to a much longer history. Holy shit, had he been a synth before he had joined the Brotherhood?

'Danse!' Someone shouted at him in a way that suggested it was not their first attempt to get his attention.

'Sorry what?'

'Forget it, I'll find it,' Maxson snarled and walked back into the tunnel, only to reappear a few seconds later. 'Screw it, where is the bathroom?'

'I'll show you. It's not obvious,' Danse said. 'Let me just...' He approached the terminal and punched a few commands into the keyboard. The lights brightened and the large fans in the walls picked up speed. Both men let out an audible sigh when cooler air brushed passed them.

'That's better,' Danse smiled. He caught the look of utter surprise on Arthur’s face before it resettled into an angry scowl.

The former Paladin shook his head as if he had to shake off a dream and pointed back to the tunnel. 'The main door to the living quarters and bathroom is blocked by debris but there is a way around.'

Danse walked around the large puddle and instead of turning left kept going straight. What had looked like solid earth turned out to be part of a concrete wall covered in dirt. Danse disappeared behind it into a short corridor that ended in a small room where the ceiling light flickered on and off; Danse made a mental note to fix that first chance he got.

There were two bunk beds and one larger bed for injured soldier which had been pushed against the far side wall next to a door that let to the bathroom and shower facilities.

Maxson stormed through the door while Danse stripped off his greasy clothes, grabbed a neatly folded towel and a bar of soap from a foot locker and headed to the showers. There were two stalls separated by a wall. Danse dropped the towel onto a rusty chair and stepped into the first one.

He first turned the water to cold before he cranked up the heat and hot steam filled the shower, engulfing him like an elusive, warm embrace. Danse took the soap and lathered himself from head to toe. He really appreciated the luxury of showers especially when field assignments required to be on the move for weeks at a time with limited opportunity to wash anything other than the bits that showed, and often not even them. Maybe living out his days in this isolated outpost wouldn't be an entirely horrible way to keep on existing.

Why had the Institute decided to make synth so human that they needed to shower? Wasn't that an incredible waste of resources? Presuming synth were kept in the Institute itself, why would the people want to create something that by necessity would have to share their creature comforts? Unless the Institute enjoyed pungent smells, which Danse doubted, it seemed like yet another design flaw.

'Why would anyone make a machine that needed a shower?' Elder Maxson asked. He stood with his arms folded in front of the shower stall just out of reach of the spray.

Danse blinked through the water running down his face. 'I was just wondering the same thing. It doesn't make sense, does it?'

Maxson lowered his chin and glared, 'A waste of time, a waste of resources; an abomination that should not exist. It's sole purpose is to deceive others, to pretend it is human when nothing could be further from the truth.'

The hairs on the back of Danse's head immediately stood on end.

Maxson unfolded his arms and adjusted his stance.

'Arthur, don't...'

In the blink of an eye the Elder had surged forward. Danse had expected the attack but the other man had been too fast. The hideous crack of a skull smacking into tiles echoed in the room. Maxson used his considerable bulk to press Danse against the wall, fisting his hand into the dark hair while the other arm pressed painfully into the former Paladin's throat.

The room was spinning and he couldn't breathe. Danse tried to kick the other man away from him but missed.

'Why, Danse, why you?' Maxson screamed into his face.

Spots danced in front of his eyes and his ears rang, he couldn't breathe and Maxson was leaning in harder, it would be over soon.

Suddenly, the pressure disappeared and Danse gasped for air as he slowly slit down the wall and onto the floor. He felt for his throat and the back of his head, his vision still blurry.

Danse could hear smacking sounds like wet cloth on tiles before a dark shape blocked out the light again. Maxson's arms came around him and he was pulled back on to his feet. Held upright by the wall and the strong arm around his waist, Danse tried and failed not to lean heavily against the naked, younger man whose calloused hand brushed water and hair back from his face.

'What... what are you...'

Warm lips pressed against his. Danse made a surprised sound in the back of his throat. When he opened his mouth to demand an explanation, Arthur's tongue slipped inside, stroking, licking, claiming.

It wasn't their first kiss. About a year ago, they had been working late, discussing strategies in Maxson's room, drinking vodka out of water glasses. At one point they had stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the map on the Elder's table.

It was one of those moments when you are in perfect sync with another person. They both came to the same conclusion and spoke simultaneously. Surprised, they both had turned their head and laughed until they had stopped laughing. Heat had coiled in Danse's gut, Arthur was staring at his mouth. Neither men could recall who had leaned in first. Their lips met, glass shattered when Danse dropped his to grab the front of Arthur's shirt.

They had jerked each other off, trousers and briefs hastily shoved down, just enough to give them access. Danse swallowed Arthur's moans that would have otherwise echoed in the metal chamber.

'We shouldn't,' Danse had panted, his forehead leaning against the Elder's, their hands sticky with their release.

'You're right,' Arthur had agreed before he caught Danse's lips in a searing kiss.

The next day had been awkward to put it mildly. Both men agreed that this couldn't happen again and Danse had volunteered for missions as far away from the Prydwen as he could get until he had eventually left for the reconnaissance mission in the Commonwealth.

After a while, the Paladin had been sure they had left it all behind. A drunken mistake that was better forgotten even as butterflies had danced in this stomach on the Vertibird ride from the police station to the Prydwen.

Fate had it that he would never see Maxson alone in the following weeks. They both had their hands full with the mission and Danse had spent most of his time in the field with Nora until Danse had all but repressed the memory of what he and Arthur had shared albeit briefly.

Too many other things needed his attention, especially the sole survivor from Vault 111. Nora who had swiftly become his best friend and saved his life from the same man who was pulling back from the kiss and nuzzled Danse's neck under the warm spray of the shower.

'Arthur, what are you doing?' Danse asked breathlessly as he tried to squirm away from the younger man. This time Maxson let him go and even took a step back, his shoulders heaving and a look of utter loss on his face.

'I...'

'Arthur, wait!' Danse called and staggered after the other man. He caught up with him in the bunk room where Maxson stood naked and wet under the flickering light.

'You're an enemy of the Brotherhood,' the Elder hissed. 'You're an abomination. Tell me, did you kill him?' He turned around to face Danse.

'What? No!' The former Paladin shouted back but added more hesitantly, 'I don't think, I did. It's like I said just over an hour ago, until yesterday, I thought I was a human.'

'How can I know you're not an Institute spy, designed to infiltrate and destroy the Brotherhood of Steel?'

Danse had wondered the same thing in the beginning and given this a lot of thought during the past 24 hours. 'The data Nora recovered said I was an escaped synth. That suggests I have not been purposefully built and programmed to be a spy for them. A spy would not have run away. My... my programming would not have allowed it. And, I have seen what the Institute does with escaped synth. Trust me, they want to destroy me as much as you do,' Danse snorted.

'Also, Quinlan's report said my DNA matches with our database. I can only come to the conclusion that I have been a synth for a long time, even before I joined the Brotherhood of Steel.'

Maxson's eyes narrowed, 'Are you saying, you're the same Danse I have known all my life?'

'For all I know, yes!'

Arthur lowered his gaze. 'Are you the same man I kissed in my quarters?'

Something in his mind clicked. Danse had been so preoccupied with his survival and what it meant that he was a synth that he hadn't even dared to think, let alone, feel what this change had done to his existing relationships. That's why he had been surprised when Nora had said she didn't want to lose a friend.

This new development didn't just affect him but everyone around him. Everyone who cared about him and everyone he cared about in return. He had most certainly not thought about Arthur Maxson, and now he understood why because it fucking hurt.

Danse took a hesitant step forward. 'Is that why you kissed me in the shower?'

'Maybe,' the Elder answered and slowly lifted his gaze off the floor to look at the other. 'Maybe I wanted proof that you're nothing but a machine, a replacement of the man I knew and respected. I wanted to have proof that I'm right to want to beat you to death with my own hands.'

'And here I thought you are not here to kill me,' Danse replied bitterly.

'Don't you understand?' Maxson suddenly shouted. He rushed forward, close enough for Danse to feel the Elder's breath on his face. 'I have to be an example to our brothers and sisters in the Brotherhood.'

'And you are! Your vision and resolve has made the Brotherhood of Steel into the force it is today. I have always been and always will be proud to have served under your command,' Danse said earnestly. And it was true, however, that wasn't all. Omitting details was evidently also permissible in one's own mind when the need arose, but it was too late now.

The memories of their first kiss flooded back until he ached to reach out and touch the other man but stopped himself from doing so. Arthur's expression was hard to read in the oscillating light. It was frustrating.

Suddenly, Danse looked up and jumped. The ceiling was low and he was a very tall man. He caught the tube and ripped it out of its socket. With a grunt, he tossed it onto one of the lower bunk beds. The room looked darker, gloomier, but at peace without the irritating back and forth that had sent Danse's nerves on edge.

When he looked back at Arthur, the younger man was looking at him with both eye-brows raised. Danse cocked his head in response and said matter of factly, 'It was annoying me.'

The corners of Arthur's mouth twitched.

'What?' Danse asked, honestly puzzled.

The Elder tried to suppress a chuckle and failed.

'What's so funny?'

Arthur barked out laughing. 'Danse' he said with a smile before he closed the distance between them and kissed the taller man within an inch of his life.

When they came up for air, Danse said, 'I still don't understand what's so funny.'

Arthur smiled against the former Paladin's cheek. 'Don't worry about it. Let's just say I have just realised that you _are_ Danse, and right now I don't give a damn that you're a machine.'

'But I am a machine,' he said, pulling back a little.

'I know, believe me, I know. You are an abomination and therefore by definition an enemy of the Brotherhood,' Maxson replied, all traces of mirth gone, 'but it's not _who_ you are.'

The former Paladin frowned at the other man. 'What does that mean?'

Arthur sighed, 'In the long run, it means the Elder has a lot of work to do. Right now, it means I should apologise for hitting you in the shower. I'm sorry, Danse.'

'Apology accepted,' the older man replied, slightly stunned.

'And secondly,' instead of saying anything else, Arthur reached for Danse and pulled him closer, and nodded toward the direction of the larger bed.

'Are you sure you want this?' Danse asked, his voice dropping low.

'Since that night on the Prydwen,' Arthur replied lustfully.

Now it was Danse's turn to pull the younger man closer, snaking one arm around his waist, the other cradling the back of Maxson's head, plunging his tongue into the other's mouth as they moved toward the bed and onto it.

'Tell me what you want,' Danse commanded as he left soft bites down Arthur's chest, enjoying how he squirmed and arched his back when he took one nipple between his teeth and pulled.

'I want to fuck you,' Arthur gasped, burying his hands in Danse's thick hair, pulling him up so he could kiss him again.

'In that case, you'll need to prepare me first,' Danse said as he pulled back. 'Wait here.'

He walked out of the room, allowing Arthur to ogle that perfectly shaped ass. Maxson slowly stroked his dick, thinking about Danse, willing him to come back sooner.

'Don't start without me,' the former Paladin smiled when he returned with a small, round tin that Maxson recognised from Med-bay and, funnily enough, Ingram's workshop.

'Petroleum jelly?' he asked the older man.

Danse nodded, 'It works perfectly for what we are about to do.' He unscrewed the tin then hesitated for a moment. 'Have you... have you ever fucked a man?'

'No.' Maxson replied honestly. 'But I'm about to,' he said and took the tin out of the other's hand.

Danse eyed him a little warily. 'Do you know what...?'

'Will you please shut up and come here, soldier? I have read a book, it was very comprehensive.'

Danse's cock twitched when Maxson called him soldier, however, he was not entirely convinced he trusted Arthur's expertise, evidently gained form reading questionable literature.

'Are you sure you know what you need to do?'

Arthur gave him a look that suggested it was high time he stopped talking. Danse rolled his eyes and climbed onto the bed but when he was about to lie down the other man pulled him up and indicated he wanted him to straddle his chest.

Danse did as he was told but raised an eye-brow to which Maxson replied, 'I want to suck your cock while I prepare you to ride my dick. Do you have a problem with that?'

Danse had no problem with that. Without hesitation, he held his cock against Arthur's lips and slowly pushed inside. The younger man's hand grasped his ass, urging Danse forward until Maxson choked. Danse's backed off and eased back in, wrapping his hand around his dick to keep from sliding in too deep as he slowly started to fuck Arthur's mouth.

Danse groaned when he felt two slick fingers circling his entrance and first one, then two fingers slipped inside, working his ass the same way he was working Maxson's throat.

A third finger entered him and he was sure he would come. He wanted to come.

'Need to calm down,' he rasped. He quickly pulled out of Arthur's mouth and squeezed the base of his cock. The fingers left him, too, leaving him empty and needy.

When he felt more in control, Danse scooted down until he could wrap his hand around Maxson's cock, hard and leaking pre-cum, and set the tip against his entrance. He leaned forward to kiss Arthur before he eased the head inside his ass.

It had been a long time since he had done this. It hurt at first but Arthur was stroking his thighs telling him to breathe, to relax, telling him how fucking gorgeous he looked. He looked down at the man. Arthur's pupils looked huge in the semi-darkness, a fine sheen off sweat covered his body and he was moaning Danse's name as the older man began to move. He set a slow, sensual pace that was keeping them hard but not enough to come.

Maxson growled, 'Stop being a fucking tease.'

'Don't want to come too soon,' Danse groaned but Arthur had other plans.

He pulled out and pushed Danse onto his back. 'Then we will do it again!' the Elder said, making it sound somewhere between a promise and a threat before he started to fuck Danse in earnest.

'Touch yourself,' Arthur growled. Danse wormed his hand between their sweat-slicked bodies and began to jerk himself off.

'You're so fucking hot, Danse! So perfect.'

Danse could feel the pressure building, the other's words were doing him in.

'Come for me, soldier!' Maxson hissed into his lover's ear.

It was too much. Orgasm slammed through Danse as he spent himself between their bodies. Maxson only fucked him harder, chasing his own release before he pulled out and collapsed on the mattress beside his lover.

As promised, they fucked again not half an hour later before they made their way back into the shower which escalated into a third time, reminiscent of that night on the Prydwen.

They were both tired but felt as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Arthur got dressed in a spare ACU, his BOS suit was still soaked, while Danse went to check on the radstorm, still entirely naked.

'How does it look?' Arthur asked, looking over Danse's shoulder at the console before planting a short kiss on his lover's neck.

'All clear,' Danse replied and turned in Arthur's arms. The buckles on the Elder's coat were cold against his bare skin but he didn't mind. They kissed slowly before the former Paladin stepped back and asked the question he had been dreading to ask, 'What now?'

'Now, I have to get back to the Prydwen and promote Knight Nora to Paladin for having hunted and killed a dangerous enemy.'

Danse frowned. 'I... understand,' he said hesitantly.

Maxson sighed. 'Like I said, I have a lot of work to do. I can't change my orders. You are our enemy, and even if it is a lie, if anyone with your likeness is sighted, they will have to be fired upon because they can only be another synth made to look like you. '

'I know that,' Danse replied, and he did but that didn't answer his first question, not really. 'But, where does that leave us?'

Maxson's gaze shifted to the floor before he turned and walked toward the elevator. He pushed the call button and turned around.

'I still believe the Institute is the enemy, and that synth are dangerous and their creation has to be stopped. But, maybe the ones who have been created already deserve a chance at redemption. It will take time, Danse. I can't change the tenets over night.'

Danse eyes widened. 'You mean that?'

'I can't promise anything, only that I will try. A lot of people have put their trust in me and my guidance. I need to show strength and conviction. When the Institute lies in ruins, I can propose changes but not now. Until then I am afraid we can't see each other until this is done. But I'm sure we'll find a way to communicate. After all, you are still talking to Haylen, and Nora will undoubtedly still drag you all over the Commonwealth.'

The elevator dinged and the doors hissed open.

Danse looked flustered. Obviously, they weren't nearly as sneaky as they had thought they had been.

'What? You think I didn't know? I didn't become Elder because of my good looks.' He winked at Danse before he quickly stepped forward and kissed his lover one last time.

When they parted, Danse said, 'Arthur, I still and always will be loyal to the Brotherhood. I wanted you to know that.'

Maxson smiled, 'Good. Than you can let me know when Nora finally turns on us.'

Danse gaped, horrified, 'How can you say that? After all she has done? It is only because of her that you spared my life. How can you not trust her?

Maxson shook his head. 'She will betray the Brotherhood. It's only a matter of time.'

'I think you're wrong about her, but if that's what you believe, why do you let her continue? Why make her a Paladin?'

'Because we need her ability to infiltrate the Institute for as long as possible. If we want to defeat them and change the Brotherhood, we'll need her. But I know that in the end, she will choose her son over us.'

Danse frowned at the Elder, 'What makes you say that?'

Maxson stepped into the elevator and pushed the button. He looked back at his lover when he replied, 'Because I know that even when you find out that the one you hold dearest is a monster, you never stop loving them.'

The doors closed and he was gone.

The End


End file.
